Groton Conservation Commission Issues Two Enforcement Orders at May Meeting

GROTON -- May 26, 2026, Groton Conservation Commission issued two enforcement orders and took 17 votes at a wide-ranging May 26 session. The board ordered the Park Commission to lock the Cow Pond Brook playing fields access gate immediately, citing a 2009 determination of applicability that required the gate to remain locked from April through September for turtle nesting protection, a condition members said has gone unenforced for years. A separate enforcement order required applicant Breno Candido to halt all work at 60 Valley Road, remove construction debris from wetlands, and properly install silt fencing before resuming, after a site walk revealed a collapsed culvert, invasive purple loosestrife, and equipment pushed into protected wetland. The commission also reported that both turtle nesting habitats at the Academy Hill subdivision, required under a Natural Heritage management plan, have been overtaken by forest and are no longer functional, with Chair Bruce warning, "The turtles are waiting for us to get this thing cleared." Three-year extensions were approved for the Batacook Pond weed harvester program and the 6 Wyman Road order of conditions, and the commission levied a $50 fine for an unpermitted tree cutting at 65 West Main Street.